The No New Clothes Pledge

Lately I’ve spent a lot of time contemplating my particular foot print on this planet. We try to be as conscientious as possible- we cloth diaper, we buy in bulk to reduce packaging, we grow, forage and preserve food, we compost and recycle where we can, we are slowly replacing the plastic in our home with eco friendly bamboo, glass or metal. We only own one vehicle, leave town as little as possible, keep our electrical usage to a minimum….

But I am a clothes hound. And as is well documented, the fashion and clothing industry is responsible for a lot of waste and problems in our environment. Between fast fashion and non biodegradable fabrics, clothes account for BILLIONS of pounds of trash per year in America.

So this year, one of my resolutions is to break the cycle. I am ending my worst habit- clothes shopping for the sake of it. And I’m not the only one- here’s a lady in Australia, This fashionista, And a fellow mamma.

Here’s the plan

1. No New Clothes- unless completely unavoidable
2. When new clothes do have to be purchased, opt for natural fibers only
3. Or, buy secondhand
4. Or, make the item in question, myself. It is well within my wheelhouse
5. New clothes for the kids are ok
6. New clothing received as a gift is ok
7. Go thru closet and categorize for maximum use.
8. Weed out items that don’t “bring me joy” ala Marie Kondo style
9. Repair or tailor anything that needs it

I’d like to think this will be easy peasy but I am notorious with my loved ones for buying clothes and always finding the good sale. I’ll have to use that energy on buying kids clothes and finding the best deals possible on household goods.

So, what are some ways you lessen your foot print on our very valuable environment?

Until next time, have a wicked good day!